Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1887-02-21
wranglins Over Confederate Graves.

pTlatlng SZ,UUU ior luo oieS1ioi VI ieneeo
around the cemeteries in which Confederate
dead are buried, near Columbus and on
Johnson's Island, O., was reached, Mr.. Bur-
rows, Mich raised point OF order against
the further amendment attached by the APP
organizations Committee, directing the Sec
retary of War to report to Congress The
number of Union and Confederate dead who
are not buried in National, State, city or
town cemeteries, and the probable cost of
fencing and marking their graves. The
point was sustained, and the committees
amendment to the Senate amendment was
stricken out.
Mr.. Butterworth (O) moved to concur in
the Senate amendment with ali amendment
directing the Secretary of War to make an
inquiry az to the number of Union soldlers
buried in the same cemeteries with Confed
crates and whether their resting places are
unfenced and unmarked. This amendment
was also ruled out on point OF order.
Mr.. Randall regretted that the points Of
order had been made. If there were any
where places containing the dead bodies OF
soldiers who died, at least bravely, which
were not properly protected, in the name OF
humanity it would not be amiss for the Gov
ernmept to provide fences to surround them.
He wanted to direct attention to the fact
that the children of those Confederate dead
were to day as devoted to the flag as any
one, and he did not think the interests of
this great Government and the harmony
and peace of its people would be interferred
with in the least degree by the construction
of fences to protect from Dissertation the
graves Of the dead.
MIR. Burrows said there was not The slight
est opposition to the original Senate amend
ment, but he was opposed to the amend
ment suggested by the Appropriation Com
mittee. The gentleman from Pennsylvania
MIR. Randall), as the leader of the other
side, had said that the object ofthat amend
ment was to search out the grave of every
man who had fought against the country,
and at public expense to maintain guard
over his remains and mark the same.
Mr.. Randall voted for that in commit
tee and l am willing to vote for it in the
House.
Mr.. Burrows-I understand !; and it is
this thing l object to. 1t will be time to
think of paying out the peoples money to
guard the dead who fought against the tiag
when some action is taken in regard to erect
ing monuments to those who fought for the
flag. We have asked for money to
build a monument to Gen. Grant. Not
dollar can be appropriated by this Congress.
We have asked for statue 10 Edwin NJ.
Stanton, that rock upon which Abraham
Lincoln leaned when the Republic trembled
| Not dollar. We have asked pensions for
soldiers sitting under the awful shadow OF
the poorhouse. 1t is vetoed. Aud my.trlend
| from Pennsylvania announces that II is MS
desire that this Government shall mark the
| resting. place Of every man who fell In the
effort to destroy it, l think / understand
this business I think that | see clearly
through it. l say it not in malice, but we
may as well come to al understanding about
| this question first as last and draw the
line here, and on that line we must stand
| that the men who fought to maintain this
Government and defend constitutional iber-
| ty were in the right, and the men who
| fought on the other side were in the wrong.
| Mr.. Randall-The gentleman says there
should be line drawn The difference be-
tween the gentleman and myself ia that
want to rub out the line which marks the
difference between the two ends of the coun-
try.
Mr.. Burrows-I never want to rub out
this line-that the men who fought for the
Government were right and those VINO
fought against it were wrong.
Mr.. Randall-There is nothing in this
proposition that will bear such a oonstruc-
| ton.
Mr.. Burrows never want to SEQ the
! time when we shall hold the name and
fame of the men who assailed the Govern
ment in equal regard with those OF the men
who saved it.
Mr.. Randall said that the majority OF the
| Committee on Appropriations had thought
| that the time had come when war upon the
| dead shonld cease. There was nothing in
the proposition of the committee which
could even by inference be tortured into the
question of who was right and who was
wrong. How he stood upon that subject
was we'll known to the House and the coun-
try, but when the war was over he wanted
to mend rather than to destroy, reopen and
tear down.
Mr.. Cutcheon Mich. was in favor Of pro-
tectng the graves of Confederate soldiers
who had died on Northern soil, fer from
| friends and kindred. That those men had
been brave, ell men knew. The only fault
he found WAS that they were too brave In
what he considered bad cause. They
were Americans and therefore they were
brave; and if the time ever came when
Americans would stand shoulder to shoulder
in common cause the world would learn
that the American soldiery was the best
and bravest soldery in the world, whether
it came from North or South. But he did
not think it was the duty of the Govern
ment to hunt out and protect the resting
places of those Confederates who lay IN
Southern soil.
Mr.. Curtin made speech, in which he
deprecated the attempt to stir up the pas
sions of the war, declaring that ne was sick
and tired of such attempts made by men
who had nothing whatever to do with it.
Mr.. Butterworth spoke earnestly in favor
of protecting the cemeteries in which lay
together the bodies of Union and Confeder-
ate soldiers. He did not give way to any
body in hatred of the institution of secession,
but he did not feel called upon to part with
common humanity or fail to recognize the
duties which Christian civilization imposed
upon him.
Mr.. King, of Louisiana, stated for the BEN
eft IF his friands IN the other side that the